LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD Analyses in Street Drug Blotter Samples via Easy Ambient Sonic-Spray Ionization MassSpectrometry (EASI-MS)

Normally, the identification of the LSD drug is performed by forensic laboratories, using the Ehrlich spot test. However, this is a nonspecific analysis. Additionally, the Brazilian Federal Police has identified the presence of a new compound in seized blotters: 9,10-dihydro-LSD, an uncontrolled substance. In this work, easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode, EASI(+)-MS, was used to characterize LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD compositions directly from the surface of blotters. The presence of LSD in the seized blotter samples were also confirmed via high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector. In a set of 41 blotters analyzed by EASI(+)-MS, 28 showed positive results for LSD, seven for 9,10-dihydro-LSD, and another six samples showed negative results for both LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD. The combination of thin layer chromatography with EASI-MS also demonstrated to be a relatively simple and powerful screening tool for forensic analysis of street drugs.     

Volition versus feasibility: state aid when aid is looked upon favourably: the broadband example

The European Commission published on September 30, 2009, Guidelines for the application of State aid rules in relation to rapid deployment of broadband networks. These Guidelines are applicable to two markets that are connected, although somewhat different. In ??traditional?? or ??first generation?? broadband networks, public intervention mainly relates to rural communities or areas which are economically underdeveloped. Therefore, a corrective nature of the aid is maintained. However, the Guidelines are also applied to accelerate the deployment of next-generation access (NGA) networks, which implies a driving conception of State aid, as this is an emerging market and there are relatively few Europeans who have access to these networks. The analysis of these Guidelines thus seems relevant due to its novelty and, particularly, to the results that it can bring.     

The Stability of Self-Control: A Group-Based Approach

In A General Theory of Crime (1990), Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that self-control, fully developed in the early stage of life (around age 8 to 10), is a primary explanatory factor of deviance. Research consistently supports the relationship between self-control and deviance, while only limited studies have examined whether self-control is stable after age 10. Using a longitudinal national sample of South Korean youths from age 10 to 14, this study provides a rigorous test of three assumptions of the self-control stability thesis: first, if the development of self-control follows a homogenous process among individuals; second, if within-individual level of self-control stay unchanged over time (absolute stability); and third, if the age and self-control relationships parallel across individuals (relative stability). Both attitudinal and behavioral measures of self-control were used to investigate whether different measures yielded different results in the stability thesis. The results indicated that among individuals multiple developmental paths of self-control existed instead of a homogeneous path. The findings also showed different measures yielded divergent results in the stability thesis. While the analysis of the attitudinal measure revealed strong absolute stability for 50% of the sample, and strong relative stability for 99.7%, the analysis of the behavioral measure showed strong absolute and relative stabilities for 88.6% of the sample.     

CHILDREN RESISTING POSTSEPARATION CONTACT WITH A PARENT: CONCEPTS, CONTROVERSIES, AND CONUNDRUMS

This article provides an overview of the key concepts, themes, issues, and possible mental health and legal interventions related to children's postseparation resistance to having contact with one parent. We maintain that the too often strongly gendered polemic on alienation and abuse is polarizing and needs to be replaced with a more nuanced and balanced discussion that recognizes the complexity of the issues so that the needs of children and families can be better met. This article reviews the historical development of the concept of alienation; discusses the causes, dynamics, and differentiation of various types of parent child contact problems; and summarizes the literature on the impact of alienation on children. These are complex cases. A significant portion of the cases in which alienation is alleged are not in fact alienation cases; for those where alienation is present, interventions will vary depending on the degree of the alienation. More severe alienation cases are unlikely to be responsive to therapeutic or psycho-educational interventions in the absence of either a temporary interruption of contact between the child and the alienating parent or a more permanent custody reversal. We conclude with a summary of recommendations for practice and policy, including the need for early identification and intervention to prevent the development of severe cases, interdisciplinary collaboration and further development and research of interventions.     

Benford's Law for Quality Assurance of Manner of Death Counts in Small and Large Databases

To assess if Benford's law, a mathematical law used for quality assurance in accounting, can be applied as a quality assurance measure for the manner of death determination. We examined a regional forensic pathology service's monthly manner of death counts (N = 2352) from 2011 to 2013, and provincial monthly and weekly death counts from 2009 to 2013 (N = 81,831). We tested whether each dataset's leading digit followed Benford's law via the chi‐square test. For each database, we assessed whether number 1 was the most common leading digit. The manner of death counts first digit followed Benford's law in all the three datasets. Two of the three datasets had 1 as the most frequent leading digit. The manner of death data in this study showed qualities consistent with Benford's law. The law has potential as a quality assurance metric in the manner of death determination for both small and large databases.     

Diel Activity and Effect of Carcass Decomposition on the Attractiveness to the Forensically Important Species Oxelytrum Discicolle (Coleoptera: Silphidae)†

Oxelytrum discicolle is a carrion beetle commonly found in the Neotropical region, mainly associated with cadavers and carcasses. Information on behavior related to the likelihood of cadaver colonization is scarce. We performed two field experiments in peri‐urban forest in Brazil in order to strengthen our knowledge on O. discicolle behavior. In the first experiment, we assessed the preference for piglet carcasses at different stages of decomposition offered simultaneously in two seasons, dry and rainy, while in the second experiment we investigated the diel activity of adults. A total of 493 adults were collected in the experiments. A significantly higher abundance was detected in the rainy season. There was a marked preference for carcasses at advanced stages. Adults exhibited a typical nocturnal behavior, the number trapped at night was 17 times greater than those collected during the day. Oxelytrum discicolle is nocturnal species that prefers carcasses in advanced stage of decomposition.     

Robustness of the Y STRs DYS19, DYS389 I and II, DYS390 and DYS393: optimization of a PCR pentaplex

Various technical methods were investigated with the aim of developing a multiplex system to amplify five Y-chromosome STR loci in the same PCR reaction: DYS393, DYS19, DYS390, DYS389 I and DYS389 II. A sequenced allelic ladder was constructed with previously sequenced alleles including the most common ones. A number of reamplification conditions of the allelic ladders were tested. The pentaplex was evaluated for typing using two different platforms (ABI and ALF) with promising results. However, in degraded samples non-specific artifacts were observed in the DYS393 system in the same range of sizes as the real alleles. This system can also be typed in females under relatively low stringency conditions in the PCR amplification, making this system prone to errors in critical samples. This lack of specificity can be reduced by increasing the stringency of the PCR conditions. The DYS19 ladder cannot be reamplified as stutters appear after a few reamplifications. These stutters are probably due to a 2 bp slippage induced by the presence of a TA repeat stretch in the PCR amplified fragments. Non-specific products were also noted in the DYS389 I and DYS389 II amplification, although out of the range of other alleles in this pentaplex. This newly constructed pentaplex has proved to be very useful in population genetic studies because all five Y STR markers can be loaded in the same lane of a gel with other Y STR singleplex or multiplexes. The usefulness of Y-chromosome STRs in criminal casework is especially evident in analyzing azoospermic individuals.     

Predicting suicidal risk in a cohort of depressed children and adolescents

Background: In children and adolescents with a depressive disorder, predicting who will also go on to exhibit suicide-related behaviors (SRBs), including suicide attempt or self-harm, is a key challenge facing clinicians. Aims: To investigate the relative contributions of depressive disorder severity, hopelessness, family dysfunction, and perceived social support to the risk of suicide-related behaviors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a group of 10-16-year-olds with major depressive disorders and dysthymic disorder. Results: Child-rated depressive disorder symptom severity emerged as the greatest predictor of risk. Hopelessness and family dysfunction were also significant predictors of SRBs. In combination these variables were strong predictors, accounting for 66% of the variance. This is a cross-sectional study design, rather than longitudinal, therefore risk prediction over time was not possible. Conclusions: Understanding the child and adolescents depressive disorder symptom severity from their perspective, their level of hopelessness, as well as their family context is critical in understanding the risk of SRBs. These findings may help to provide direction for targeted interventions to address these clinical risk factors.